Risen Heroine
by randomlass
Summary: April gets a flu shot and starts suffering from bizarre symptoms, and Karai has a new obsession with pet shop turtles. And Leo thinks that there might a connection between the two incidents?
1. The Dream

**Dedicated to KnucklesRedFury: sorry for taking so long for finishing the first chapter of your request. So, here is the first chappie of your LeoApril story.**

**Summery: April gets a flu shot and starts suffering from bizarre symptoms, and Karai has a new obsession with pet shop turtles. And Leo thinks that there might a connection between the two incidents?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. (sighs) If only…(stares longingly into the distance)**

* * *

**Risen Heroine: Chapter 1-The Dream**

Staring into the steam that floated from her porcelain mug, April O'Neil heaved a quiet sigh. Life had become confusing after the problems from barely five months before. The red head set the mug on the kitchen table, and she glanced at the digital clock on the microwave.

It was ten thirty. The sun had set into the cool tresses of night a few hours before, and her boyfriend, Casey, had yet to leave the apartment for his vigilantly business.

The strong scent of herbs wafted through the air, and April found her eyes closing, pursing her lips, listening to the sounds of rushed movements in the other room. She could only imagine her boyfriend throwing on his clothes after lazing about in his pajamas for majority of the day.

Her heart throbbed faintly.

She picked up the mug and took a sip of the hot liquid, and her mind began to buzz about her mind. Days like these were happening more frequently, starting with an argument that had occurred three months before. Neither of them could even remember what the argument was about in the first place.

It was becoming an unwanted ritual that was happening on a regular basis ever since; a totally unneeded variable that was placed into their relationship.

Even though arguments were bound to happen, they weren't supposed to have the effect that they were causing; all in all her relationship with Casey should have been getting stronger with all the arguing, not getting to the point that a void was blocking its growth.

The sound of the bedroom door slamming shut caused April to set the mug on the table, and peer in the direction of the sound; Casey Jones was scratching his head as he emerged from the hallway, an obnoxious yawn rippling from his lips. He blinked once, pausing to stare at April quietly for several deafening moments, the smell of after-shave over powering the scent of herbs from her tea.

He forced a small smile, his hand cupping the back of his head, "Uh…Hey, babe."

Returning the same smile, April replied, "Hey…" pause, "um…how was the game?" She titled her head, remembering listening as Casey yelled at the top of his lungs in the other room, at whatever sport he was watching.

"Good," he grunted, moving into the kitchen area, his hand moving in a jerked motion to his side. She watched as he shuffled to the refrigerator. He yanked the door open, his blue eyes searching at the stock of foods inside, before he reached out, grabbing an un-open carton of milk, and shutting the refrigerator door behind him.

She watched him carefully, her hands gently reaching out and grasping the mug as if it were a lifeline.

Several conversation starters were running through her mind. The one she used most often was slapped down in a split second, nevertheless it was somewhat expected. Her understanding of most sports, actually, _all_ sports was very limited and it frustrated her boyfriend greatly whenever he tried to get her to understand them.

Brushing her thumb over a heart that was clumsily painted on the mug, she continued to gaze at Casey as he opened the carton, and began to gulp down the contents.

Something inside her snapped at the sight.

Her lips twisted into a tiny frown, as her boyfriend took one final gulp removing the carton from his lips, and he let out a gasp, wiping the corner of his mouth with his hand. With her eyebrow twitching, she stared at him with steely green eyes, "Casey-"

"I don't give a crap," he knew exactly what she was going to say; "it ain't like I'm sick or nuthin'."

"I don't care, it's still unsanitary!" she wrinkled her nose slightly, "And rude! I mean, you are perfectly capable to reach into the cabinet and pull out a cup, it's not that hard."

"Look April, I can do whatever the hell I want, and if I wanna drink out of the carton, then I'm goin' to drink out of the carton! It's not gonna hurt nobody, we share drinks all the time, and you don't get mad about that!"

During his speech, he had let the carton of milk spiral to the floor as he talked wildly with his hands. The cardboard split and milk swooshed in every direction imaginable; April's eyes went wide, and she blinked at the mess before her. Casey glared at her, turning, then glancing over his shoulder for several heartbeats, before storming towards the window.

She was still staring at the mess as if it was going to clean itself when Casey had long been gone. She sighed, slouching slightly, before she stood up putting herself on autopilot as she turned into the direction of the 'cleaning cabinet.'

Her thoughts boiled with anger. Why did the man have to be so difficult? He knew that it wasn't 'okay' for him to go and do things that he used to do when he lived on his own. The two agreed upon these terms before they even started the search for the apartment.

If Casey's head wasn't attached to his body, he probably would forget it. Shaking her head with a frown, April kneeled in front of the cabinet, opened the doors, and began her search for her trusty drying rag.

Her heart leaped from her chest the moment she heard the familiar sound of someone clearing out his throat behind her. A dirty look crossed her features before she glanced over her shoulder, glaring at whoever had the nerve to sneak up on her.

April almost regretted the dark look, noticing Leonardo standing there.

"Oh," she flushed in embarrassment, "Leo, I thought you were Casey."

The mutant turtle cocked an eye ridge, tilting his head as a smile twitched on the corners of his mouth, "No hello?"

The red head flushed a dark shade of red, "Oh, sorry. Uh, hi, Leo."

The blue masked mutant nodded in return, his dark brown eyes glancing over to the puddle of spilled milk. He gazed at it for several minutes, as if it was telling him something, before, "So, what happened this time?"

Green eyes narrowed slightly, before April turned back to the cabinet, glancing around for the rag, "Casey was drinking out the milk carton." She huffed in annoyance, "I swear to God, that man doesn't think before he acts. Or he doesn't even consider that I live here, too." She blew a strand of hair from her eyes, before grinning victoriously, grabbing hold of the worn rag.

"You do remember that you're dating a certified bonehead right?" Leo watched the young woman carefully as she stood up and plodded over to the puddle of milk. She squatted down, and he quickly grabbed the trashcan, maneuvering it so it would be in her range as she picked up the milk carton.

April sighed, shaking her head, "I really don't know what to think of Casey anymore. It's like he's changed or I've changed. Or that I'm seeing a part of Casey that I haven't seen before." She paused, throwing the milk carton into the offered garbage bin. Chewing her lip thoughtfully, she glanced up at Leo, "Do you think I'm trying too hard?"

Leo blinked, taken aback by her question, before replying, "What?" He quickly returned the trash bin to it's original place.

Rolling her eyes, she set the rag down on the pool of milk, "Do you think I'm trying too hard in Casey and I's relationship?"

Noticing Leo had put on his "thinking face" the moment the question escaped her lips, April turned her attention towards the puddle in the middle of her kitchen floor, doing her best to dry it up. She found herself drifting off, thinking on the question she asked. Was she trying to hard? Was it even worth the try to keep a relationship with a man with a personality and interests opposite of her own?

It seemed like she and Casey were on a giant seesaw and things were piling on to both ends that made it stop and allow all the weight to shift to one side. Their relationship had always been unbalanced, but never has it been like this.

For a few minutes, she forgot Leo was there. She was so wrapped up with the unwanted issues in her relationship with a man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and it was a frightening thought seeing their relationship starting to dissolve like salt in water.

April remembered Leo was there when he started speaking, "April, maybe you should do something to get your mind off Casey for a few hours."

"Like what?" she asked, sighing realizing the rag wasn't enough to mop up the puddle of milk. Shaking her head, she looked up at the double-katana wielding ninja, pointing out, "Every thing I do centers around Casey in some way. I mean, I travel the darn world collecting artifacts so the man can have _some_ form of a job."

She wrinkled her nose slightly, her expression forming into a soft scowl when she finally became conscious to everything. She had been putting Casey before everything because of how much she loved him, and he, being confused about everything took everything she gave him for granted because he wasn't sure of _anything_ past sports and being a damn vigilantly.

She also became aware on how she hadn't done anything for herself since they moved in together, and on top of that, since the two had started fighting she hadn't popped into the lair to see the guys for a _surprise_ visit in a while.

And, God, she hadn't realized how empty she felt without the comforting escape from the _insanity_ of reality. The turtles and Splinter gave her a comfort that she didn't appreciate. Well, at least not until now.

She felt like she was drowning.

April O'Neil had never felt so guilty in her life, hell, every guilt trip she went through in her past felt like a slap on the wrist compared to the stabbing sensation on her soul.

It took a few moments and her mind smacking her across the face for it all to sink in.

"Damn it!" her hands balled into fists, "I'm such an idiot!" She shut her eyes tightly, realizing that it hurt to look at Leo, "I'm so sorry!"

Her reply was, "April, why are apologizing? You haven't done anything wrong." His eye ridges furrowed in confusion, and he hesitated before kneeling on the ground beside her. He reached out, pausing before placing a hand on her shoulder.

The touch made her heart shatter, and she flung herself at him, grasping onto him as tears prickled her eyes.

The force knocked him back on his shell, and he blinked at her with surprise. Green flushed a soft brown, and his hands trembled some before he returned the embrace.

And then with an annoying beeping noise, everything vanished into white light.

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

An alarm clock sat on the side table, blaring loudly, and hopping side to side as the noise made it vibrate. A hand reached up, pressed the snooze button, and rested limply on the now silent clock. Blurred green fluttered before vision became cleared.

Stifling a yawn, April O'Neil rolled over, her hand reaching out to the opposite side of the bed, only to blink when it touched cold sheets. She shot up, blinking as she stared at the empty spot in confusion, "Casey?" Her brow furrowed, before she sighed, kicking off the covers that covered her legs, her mind set on the task for her scheduled cup of coffee to get the day kicking.

After successfully crawling out of bed, she shuffled out of the bedroom to the direction of the kitchen, glancing at the couch in hopes that her boyfriend would be snoring away trapped in dreamland.

To her annoyance, Casey wasn't even in the apartment.

_That dream…_

The two words echoed through her mind as she entered the kitchen.

_God that is the third time I've had that dream. Only…Leo's never been in it…usually it's over when Casey leaves._

Shuffling towards the cabinet, she allowed her thoughts to replay the dream, quietly preparing the coffee pot.

_It has been three weeks since I popped by the lair, maybe I should do that tonight, and maybe I should bring something. Maybe some sugar cookies…_

Her mind flickers back to reality when she hears the sizzling of the coffee maker, and she briskly walks towards the kitchen table, tenses when she notices a note sitting on the table.

'_Gone to stay with Ma for a while, to think about things. I think we should take a break for a little while. _

_-Casey'_

April's brows furrowed, a frown crossing her lips. It was a shock, to see this, to realize he left without even physically talking about it or even giving her a warning.

Casey Jones could be incredibly insensitive at times due to how slow he could be, but this took the cake.

Her heart cracked, and she shut her mind off before she allowed her thoughts to run wild.

Placing herself on autopilot, she made her way back to the coffee maker. One thought shouted out in the void of her mind.

_Maybe baking sugar cookies isn't a bad idea._

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_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**Hello readers! Firstly, I would like to apologize for disappearing and not updating; writers block is killer, plus I have a big project (that will take up most of the school year) that I need to focus on. Now, right now, my stories will either be on hiatus or I will be attempting to update on some of them every once in awhile. I will admit, another reason as to why I haven't been updating is due to my little sister introducing me to an anime/manga series **_**Ouran High School Host Club**_**. **

**The next thing I might be updating on might be **_**A Message in Music**_** though I'm not sure at the moment. Just keep your eyes open!**


	2. Turtle Crazy

Yup, I know it's been awhile since I updated on this, but here it is.

**Summery:** April gets a flu shot and starts suffering from bizarre symptoms, and Karai has a new obsession with pet shop turtles. And Leo thinks there might be a connection between the two incidents?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own TMNT!

**Risen Heroine: Chapter 2-Turtle Crazy**

"This is absolutely ridiculous! The woman's obsessed!"

The small box turtle just sat inside the small animal carrier, not at all phased by Baxter Stockman's cry. It only reacted when it was suddenly airborne, tucking itself into its shell as the dark skinned scientist scrutinized it behind a spectacled gaze.

"Why in the hell did Winters have to disappear? This is a waste of my time," he muttered to himself, carrying the turtle to a tank that held two box turtles, and set it inside. Next to it, a second tank (much larger then the first), filled halfway with water and with various stones at the bottom, was holding about one and a half a dozen baby red-eared sliders. The man sighed, recording the arrival on a clipboard sitting on a table between the tanks.

After the mysterious disappearance of Max Winters, a young woman by the name of Oroku Karai stepped in, stating that the head of Winters Corp had entitled her as the heir.

That was when it all started.

Now, not to say he _didn't_ like her at first. He thought she was a very generous woman, especially after she gave him a promotion to become the head of the entire Science Department. However, it was short lived. When the first pair of red-eared slider and the tank, and that was when she gave the order: Extract turtle DNA.

"Dr. Stockman."

The scientist sighed, adjusting his glasses, _Speak of the devil. _

The Japanese woman glanced around the room, before giving a nod of satisfaction, "I see that the package arrived." She was referring to the small pet carrier. He bit his tongue, deciding not to say anything about his displeasure with her.

"Is there anything you need, Miss Oroku?" he asked it in a pleasant voice.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Karai nodded.

_Damn it._

She took a few steps closer toward Dr. Stockman. She leaned in, before stating, "I would like for you to create a mutagen out of those turtle DNA samples for me."

"_Are you mad!_" he shrieked.

Karai wasn't at all phased by him yelling at her, she had become used to it when the number of red eared sliders slipped past seven.

"I would like it two days from now."

And with that she turned on her heel, and exited the lab.

Baxter Stockman twitched.

_I hate that woman.

* * *

_

April sighed into the phone, the strong scent of baking cookies overwhelmed her senses, "Fine, Robyn, I'll get the shot. Geez, you're as bad as Mom sometimes."

"_Well, at least the chances of you getting the flu are lower," _April rolled her eyes at the comment, cringing at the amusement in her sister's voice, _"and I guess I am."_

"I don't usually take a shot unless I absolutely have to," April stated, her lips curving into a small frown, "and I hate needles, you know that."

"_You don't _like_ needles,"_ Robyn corrected_, "Needles can't love or hate you."_

The timer on the oven went off, and April sighed, "Well, I need to go. I'll get the shot when I find time to. Bye sis."

"_Bye."_

April hung up the phone, and grabbed the oven mitt. When she reached the oven, she slipped the mitt on her hand, and pulled a tray with steaming hot sugar cookies with colored sprinkles that twinkled in the fluorescent lighting of the kitchen.

"Well, that's the last batch," April muttered to herself setting the tray on the stove, before shifting over, plucking up cookies from a cooled tray to move to a large tub. She titled her head, listening to the smooth drone of the television.

The first thing she noticed after reading the note that morning, is that she still felt like Casey was still in the apartment with her. She knew he wasn't there, but it seemed the man left a decent sized chunk of his essence behind.

It irritated the hell out of her.

She turned to the calendar, and rubbed her chin, reflecting on what her sister had said. _I'll set an appointment to see the doctor sometime during the week, I've been overdue for a checkup anyways. _

She nodded to herself, self-satisfied with her idea, before tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

Now, what to do to pass the time?

* * *

"Again."

"Damn, Leo, we've been at this for hours!" Mikey managed to whine while panting, slumping over, his nunchaku landing on the floor of the dojo with a loud _thump_. Leo only stared at his sparing partner, irritation growing. This had been going on for weeks, the orange masked turtle seemed distracted lately.

Raph grinned, "God, you can be such a baby sometimes."

The red masked turtle's statement caused the youngest to pout, before turning toward the only other turtle in the room, "Donnie!"

Don rolled his eyes, noticing Mike was sending him the lethal puppy dog pout.

"Don't even think about it," Leo stated, his tone sharp, "Don is not going to get you out of another training session."

Mike let out an exasperated sigh, before leaning down picking up his discarded nunchaku.

"Now," Leo began, "again!"

The youngest muttered something under his breath, before charging, quickly striking at Leo. With a quick sidestep his older brother, dodged the attack, while tripping Mikey in the process. Before the youngest knew it, he was face first on the tatami that covered the dojo's floors.

"He's gotten sloppy," Don muttered to Raph, "He's been making the same mistake over and over again for the past week."

Raph snorted, when Mikey stood up and began whining to Leo about ending practice early, "You can tell something has been botherin' him."

"Yeah," Don nodded, before asking, "But what?"

* * *

"Three days from now?" April glanced at the calendar on the fridge before nodding, "That would be perfect. I'll take the first appointment that is available."

"_Alright, Miss O'Neil,"_ the nurse on the other end stated, _"We'll see you in Dr. Emerson's office at eleven o'clock, then."_

"Thank you so much," April smiled, before hanging up.

There was a sudden knock on her door. She let out a small sigh, knowing that it was probably one of her neighbors, here to ask her a favor.

Opening the door, she revealed a woman, slightly older than her, with tired but happy smile. She blinked, before sending the woman a small smile, "Hello, Sasha."

"I know I'm probably being a bother again," Sasha laughed, "but I was wondering if you'd do me a favor."

"What sort of favor?" April asked.

"With the new baby and my husband starting back with work today, I haven't been paying attention to Presto's food," April remembered that her Sasha had a fat tabby that she loved to death, "do you mind going to pick some up for me?"

"Of course I don't mind," April smiled, "Sasha, you've been a big help to me since I moved into the complex, I owe you big time."

"Thank you so much, April," Sasha nodded, before reaching into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a folded up sheet of paper and a crinkled twenty dollar bill, "now, I only get Presto's cat food from Ray's Pet Shop. I have the brand written right here."

"Anytime, Sasha," April smiled, "I need to get ready, I'll see you when I bring it to you."

"Alright," Sasha nodded, "I'll see you later then, April."

With that April shut the door, her throat tightening slightly.

She had never been so jealous of anyone in her life.

* * *

Ray's Pet Shop was only two blocks East of the apartment complex. April had past it many times before, sometimes drawn in by the puppies and kittens playing in the windows, but she already had the trouble of Casey and four mutant teens (now young adults) to worry about. She peered inside for a moment or two, before entering, ignoring the jiggling of the bell and squawking of birds.

An older Chinese man greeted her with his heavily accented voice calling as he appeared suddenly in her line of vision, "Welcome, do you need any assistance?"

"Um," she shrunk back, "I'm only here to look around, thank you."

The man nodded, before disappearing as quickly as he appeared, leaving her glancing between a Grey Macaw and a shelf of pet food. It had been years since even stepped foot inside a pet store; maybe, it wouldn't hurt to just look around before getting the cat food.

She started with the Grey Macaw, who started speaking the moment it saw her approach, "Hello."

_How cute_, April thought giggling before replying, "Hello."

The bird whistled, before bobbing its head up and down, "What a pretty lady." It repeated the action with its head, before stating again, "What a pretty lady."

The bell over the door jingled again, signaling that yet another customer had entered. The Chinese man repeated the same greeting he had given April as the macaw stated, "My name is Cosmo."

April was about to reply to Cosmo, but a familiar voice caused her voice to be caught in her throat, "As a matter of fact, yes. Do you have any red eared sliders?"

The red head turned on her heel, her eyes widening.

There standing in front of the man stood Karai.

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**PLEASE REVIEW!**


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